


One of a Pair

by GhostOfTasslehoff, ZombieJesus



Series: ZJ Deathnotetober 2020 [2]
Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Arrogance, Awkward Flirting, Duelling, Fencing, Kissing, L is captain of the fencing team, Light's just quit the team to focus on his 'plans', M/M, Rivalry, Sexual Tension, lawlight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26818501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostOfTasslehoff/pseuds/GhostOfTasslehoff, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombieJesus/pseuds/ZombieJesus
Summary: A Lawlight fencing AU where Light and L are both students at To-Oh. Light has just quit the fencing team and the team Captain, Ryuzaki, will do just about anything to provoke him to come back, including challenging Light to an illegal duel.
Relationships: L/Yagami Light
Series: ZJ Deathnotetober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955044
Comments: 14
Kudos: 106





	One of a Pair

**Author's Note:**

> A few fencing terms, if you are unfamiliar with them.  
> Épée: An épée is one of three main weapons that are employed in fencing. It is light, with a triangular blade and a large handguard.  
> En-garde, pret, allez: on guard, ready, go  
> Bout: game between two fencers where scores are kept

“Psst!” Matsuda looked around nervously as he hurried over to Light Yagami’s study carrel in the far corner of the library. He could barely see the top of Light’s head over stacks of books and papers. “Psst, Light! What are you doing all the way back here?” 

“Hmm?” Light looked up from his writing, closing his book quickly before Matsuda could see. “Oh. I’m pretty busy, Matsuda. I still have to finish that physics homework.” In truth, that homework had long been finished, but he needed peace and quiet to write some names in his Death Note since his roommate had company over tonight. He furtively slipped the torn-out page he’d been writing on beneath the rest of his papers. “Can we, uh...catch up later?”

“Sure! But-- wait I…” Matsuda beamed and lost his train of thought that _Light_ actually wanted to hang out with him. But that wasn’t why he’d hurried over, and his smile just as quickly disappeared. “I came to warn you! Ryuzaki’s looking for--”

“Physics?” A deep, deadpan voice mused from the American Literature section just behind them and both of the students turned around in immediate recognition. 

Light sighed and mumbled a curse under his breath, shoving his papers into his backpack. This was exactly the person he did not want to see tonight.

L slouched forward and began rifling through Light’s stacks of books. “None of these look like physics books to me.” In fact, there was little theme between the tomes of history, science, or literature, as if they’d been selected more for their ability to form a barricade than anything else. “Light-kun has an odd mode of studying.” He picked up one of the books and flipped through the pages, ignoring Light’s unamused glare and how Matsuda was edging away to slip between the bookshelves. Amusement coloured his words, “Or does Tolstoy have a treatise on the conservation of energy that I’ve missed? Hmm, I suppose it’s possible.”

Light rolled his eyes and snatched ‘War and Peace’ out of Ryuzaki’s hands and shoved that in his backpack, too. “What does it matter to _you_ what I read?” He stood up and slung his backpack over his shoulder with a haughty toss of his head. “Don’t you have some other student you can annoy?”

“But Light-kun is so amusing to annoy.” L smiled wryly as he leaned against the carrel and openly stared at Light. “You missed practice again. Don’t tell me you needed to study, I already spoke to your roommate and he said you finished that physics homework 15 minutes after class.”

“You _what?!”_ Light gaped at Ryuzaki’s sheer nerve to check up on him and scold him like a child. “If I didn’t know better I’d think you were stalking me, Ryuzaki.”

L pressed a finger to his bottom lip, rubbing it thoughtfully. “What makes you know better?”

“You’re impossible.” Light huffed and strode towards the library exit but Ryuzaki fell into stride beside him, step for step. “ _Don’t_ follow me.”

“There’s no rule that says I can’t. I’m a _prefect_.” L shoved his hands into his pockets, ducking through the door behind Light and following closely down the winding marble steps. “I want an explanation as to why you stopped coming to fencing practice. As Team Captain, I deserve to know.” 

“Prefect, Captain...any more titles you want to remind me of?” Light tried to speed up but Ryuzaki only sped up to match him. He didn’t understand why of all people at To-Oh, Ryuzaki had apparently chosen _him_ as the focus for incessant nosiness and wry teasing. But every time Light turned around on campus, Ryuzaki was there staring. 

“Well, I’d also be the top student if you didn’t insist on tying with me every quarter, but stop dodging the question.”

“I don’t have time for it anymore.” That wasn’t a lie-- Light needed that time in the evenings for his Kira activities. He admitted it was a shame since he really did enjoy fencing, especially his bouts with Ryuzaki. As exasperating as the man was, he was surprisingly exciting with a sword in his hand. “I thought the resignation letter I submitted to the team was perfectly clear.” 

“It was, but I have rejected your resignation.” L stated it matter-of-factly. “You’re the second-best fencer besides me and I get bored with the rest of the team.”

Light laughed incredulously, “Second-best? I recall out-scoring you in our last bout, _Captain_.”

“Yet another reason I insist you come back. I want a rematch.” L tilted his head to try and catch Light’s expression. “Light-kun left when he was ahead on purpose, just to annoy me. Don’t deny it.” He was teasing but it came out as completely serious. He was really terrible at flirting.

“Pfft, that’s ridiculous, Ryuzaki.” Light couldn’t help but laugh, but in truth...it had felt pretty good to leave with his tally in the team register one ahead of L’s after two years of volleying back and forth.

“You’re just afraid you’ll lose. I understand.” L sighed as they stepped out into the moonlit courtyard, empty of students except for a few faraway stragglers like them.

“I’m _not_ afraid of losing. You’re just trying to bait me into coming back and that’s not going to work. I’m through with the team. Good _night_ , Ryuzaki.” Light turned towards his dorm building but stopped in his tracks when he heard a soft murmur.

“Then I challenge you to a duel.”

Light slowly turned around in disbelief. That was low-- Ryuzaki knew Light’s honor and pride would make turning down a direct challenge nearly impossible. 

L went on, speaking to his untied sneakers. “You may choose the sword, although épées would be my preference. Old rules apply-- no armor, no point guard, anywhere on the body is fair game, and first to draw blood wins.”

Light had never fought such a match, primarily because duels were _illegal_. Aghast, “We could get _expelled_.”

“Only if someone caught us or you told.” L looked up at Light with a small smirk, starting to slowly circle the man. The wind caught his untucked dress shirt and it fluttered briefly, exposing his lean, pale stomach. Behind the faux-shock, L saw intrigue and interest in Light’s eyes and L knew he had him. “I think Light-kun knows how to keep a secret. I’d advise you to keep it from Matsuda, though, I have a feeling he was the one that informed our Chemistry professor of my after-hours experiments.” 

Light smiled tightly, trying to keep his mind off of how L seemed to absorb the moonlight and emit it, how it pooled in his eyes and glinted off teeth too white for someone who ate nothing but sweets. Coolly, “And if I win?”

L stopped in front of him, leaning nearly nose-to-nose. “Then I will accept his resignation from the team.” _Come on. I know you want to do it._

Light didn’t flinch when L invaded his personal space. “You’d have to do that anyway.” But there _was_ something Light wanted. Ryuzaki had an exquisite 17th-century French épée that he rarely brought to practice but Light had long admired. He tilted his head and whispered, “I want your sword.”

L’s hands felt sweaty in his pockets and his heart was beating so hard that he was sure Light could hear it. _My sword…_ He had to mentally shake himself to clear the naughty images from his mind, staring hard at Light, willing himself to keep his focus on Light’s _eyes_. That phrasing _could_ have been a coincidence, and if it was anyone else, L would have dismissed it as such, but Light wasn’t one to do _anything_ by accident. He was a tactician through and through, he knew how to disarm his opponents with _words_ as easily as he did with weapons. The focused way Light was looking at him, the man’s proximity and intensity made him feel both thrilled and weak, just like L _always_ felt during their bouts. He was addicted to it and wouldn’t let it slip away so easily. His mouth was dry, his voice _mostly_ steady when he finally replied, “Done. And if I win...Light-kun returns to the team for the rest of the academic year.”

“Alright.” Light grinned and took a step backward. “So when are we doing this?”

“Tonight. Meet me in the fencing hall in 30 minutes. I have the keys and will leave the door unlocked for you.”

“Now?” Light checked his watch with a frown, it was already nearly midnight. 

L shrugged, “Why wait?” He turned and ambled in the direction of the fencing hall, leaving Light staring after him for once.

\---

“Arrogant prat.” Light hurried across the campus courtyard after quickly changing into lightweight, white clothes. He hoped no one would see him rushing towards the fencing hall after curfew holding his épée. Luckily, no one else was sneaking around and he ducked into the hall right on time. Of course, Ryuzaki was already there, barefoot, and in what looked like white pajamas. It was a little eerie to be here without the cacophony of voices that usually echoed in the hall, and each of his footsteps felt loud as a gunshot. He walked cautiously towards the center of the hall, keeping a wary eye on Ryuzaki. “Did you bring it?”

L raised one eyebrow at him, smirking. “Worried I wouldn’t honor your terms, Light-kun?” He gestured to the side with the unguarded tip of his épée to point to an elegant, sheathed sword leaning against the stands. “Of course I brought it.”

Light glanced at the sword and nodded. “To first blood then.” He removed the point guard from his sword and tossed it aside then took his place just behind his designated line on the strip. “And then the bout is over, correct?” He pointed his épée to the floor and then raised it in front of his face in an opening salute. 

“Correct.” L moved to take his position across from Light, his expression unchanged as he returned the salute. “I look forward to seeing you back on the team, Light-kun.” 

Light snorted, snapping his épée back down to finish the salute and move into his ready stance. “En garde.” 

L grinned, excitement shining in his eyes as he mirrored Light. “Pret.”

“Allez!” As soon as Light called it out, he was across the line, expression intense as he carefully advanced on Ryuzaki. It was important to maintain a safe distance but simultaneously look for an opening in his opponent’s defense. Once, twice, they crossed swords and rebuffed each other. 

Instead of falling back after the second strike like most would, L lunged forward with a thrust towards Light’s side, missing by just a hair as the man parried the blow. His grin widened and he pressed forward aggressively with a series of quick slashes and flicks, aiming at various parts of Light’s body to keep the man on the defensive.

Light continued to parry each blow, breath coming faster with the effort of keeping up with the barrage. “Ryuzaki, are you trying to _kill_ me?!” A deft swipe of his sword forced Ryuzaki to lean enough that Light could duck behind him; he’d lost quite a bit of ground on the strip but effectively reversed their positions. 

“Of course-” L whirled around, instinctively catching Light’s blade on the edge of his sword and forcing the blow wide, immediately reversing his trajectory and slashing towards Light’s side again, not really aiming to cut _skin._ Panting, he said laughingly, “Of course _not,_ Light-kun.” 

Light gasped as Ryuzaki’s blade nicked his shirt, forcing him to jump back. “Ah!” It hadn’t touched his skin or drawn blood, but that was _too_ close. He narrowed his eyes and went on the offensive, alternating his strikes randomly so Ryuzaki couldn’t predict where they’d fall. Anger blazed in his eyes but it was also clear he was having _fun_ , enjoying himself more than he had since the semester began. “I _liked_ this shirt, you ass!” 

L’s breathless laughter rang through the hall as he retreated, parrying for all he was worth. Light looked _gorgeous_ like this, so engaged, so _angry._ It was intoxicating and something he hadn’t noticed as much with the masks hiding their faces. “Then perhaps you shouldn’t have worn it to a _duel,_ Light-kun,” he taunted with a smirk, blocking another blow and forcing Light’s sword down, his gaze dropping as well. A tantalizing flash of hip bone was visible through the tear in Light’s shirt, and L’s breath caught, flicking his tongue out to wet his suddenly dry lips as he forced himself to refocus.

“Maybe YOU shouldn’t have challenged me to a duel in the first place!” Light noticed an opening as soon as Ryuzaki’s gaze dropped and he swiftly flicked his sword up in an arc. To his amazement, L wasn’t quick enough to parry the blow. The tip of Light’s sword cut a scratch across Ryuzaki’s cheek, from the edge of his lip to his cheekbone, which immediately oozed bright red blood.

L jerked away from Light immediately with a hiss of pain, raising his hand to the stinging cut. His fingers came away red. _I lost._ He stared down at his bloody fingers with wide, angry eyes for a beat more before looking up at Light, hyper-aware of how fast his heart was racing. Losing because he got distracted by his own hormones had _not_ been part of the plan.

Light immediately lowered his sword, a look of shock and mortification on his face. “Ryuzaki, I’m…” He flushed and looked away, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty for thinking that their duel of egos wouldn’t end in disaster. He’d never wanted to actually _hurt_ the man, and normally would never aim for the face, but his temper had gotten the best of him. “I’m so sor--” Before he could finish his apology, L slashed the front of his shirt, ripping the entire thing wide open into clean halves. 

L stared at Light from his dueling stance, the blood on his raised hand dripping down to stain the sleeve of his shirt. His angry glower twitched into a smirk at the shocked expression on Light’s face. “What was that, Light-kun?” He traced his tongue over the cut on his upper lip as he admired Light’s exposed chest. “I didn’t catch that.”

Light brought his sword back up and took a few steps back, slightly disconcerted by the feral look in Ryuzaki’s eye. “What?! Y-you said the match would be over once someone drew blood! Put your sword down!” 

L grinned and lunged forward again, slashing a shallow cut down the fabric covering Light’s arm this time and backing away immediately. He was delighted to see the man’s skin was left unscathed. “Oops.”

“What the hell!” Light looked down at the tattered shirt half-hanging off of him. He tossed his sword into the other hand and shrugged off his shirt, kicking it away. Clearly, Ryuzaki had tossed all the rules of fencing out the window, but two could play at this game. He twirled around Ryuzaki and sliced a straight line up the back of his shirt. “Are you just being a sore loser?! I _already_ won and I want my prize.” 

“My _sword,_ yes, I know,” L said breathlessly, whirling around to keep Light in his sights as he began to circle the man, tugging his own shirt off and tossing it to the side. He didn’t bother to watch where he was going now, more interested in eating up the eye candy. “Patience is a virtue, Light-kun, and _I’m_ not done with you.” He grinned and launched himself towards Light with a series of feinting attacks, hoping the man would indulge him and retaliate. He hadn’t had this much fun in a _long_ time.

“Stop that!” Light parried each of the blows, having a hard time keeping a grin off his face and maintaining a pissed-off expression. They weren’t even on the fencing strip anymore, the entire hall had become their arena in this ruleless match. He danced to the side, crossing blades with Ryuzaki and getting right in the man’s face. He pressed into it, murmuring, “ _Exactly_ what do you think you’re doing? Aren’t you supposed to be setting a good example, _Captain?_ ” He smirked and slid his blade down Ryuzaki’s, stepping back to flick the point of his sword against the waistband of Ryuzaki’s pajama pants. 

“Does this mean you’re-” L started, abruptly stopping as he felt his pants sliding down his ass. “Shit!” He grabbed for them and missed, mouth hanging open in surprise as he looked down, face flushing as he stood there in his underwear. Well, now there was no hiding how _very_ much he was enjoying this. He looked determinedly back up at Light and kicked out of his pants with a laugh, jerking his sword downwards to slice through Light’s pant leg from the waist. “Had enough, Light-kun?”

Light sucked in a breath and stared down at his pants, the fabric loosely hanging on one side and exposing his tight black underwear. He was about to retort that he’d had _enough_ when he’d obviously WON but then he noticed the tenting in Ryuzaki’s underwear. _Oh shit…._ He kept a sword’s length between them as they circled each other, chests heaving. The thick tension had slowly changed from one of pure rivalry to something more physical and primal. Haughty, “No, I don’t think I _have_ had enough, Ryuzaki.” He gradually backed Ryuzaki up against the wall with a barrage of blows, finally turning his sword horizontally and pressing it against the man’s throat. He tilted his head and brought his face close to Ryuzaki’s, whispering, “I want to hear you say I _won_.”

L let the épée fall from shaky fingers as he stared into Light’s eyes, struggling to catch his breath. The man was pressed _so_ close to him that he could _feel_ Light’s body heat and smell the sweat on him, could feel Light’s breath on his lips. Light’s proximity was making it very difficult to even _think._ He very carefully took a breath as he felt the edge of Light’s sword press against his skin, licking at his still bloody lips before whispering, “You _win,_ Light-kun.”

Light panted as his eyes darted between Ryuzaki’s eyes and his blood-smeared lips, suddenly realizing _he_ was hard, too. This duel had awakened something in him he hadn’t known was there, a latent attraction to Ryuzaki that hit him with full force all at once. It was confusing and exhilarating and _maddening_. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins as he closed the short distance between them, unable to help himself as he gently pressed his lips to Ryuzaki’s crimson ones. 

L let out a strangled noise of surprise into the kiss, his eyes wide and heart rate ratcheting up a notch. The petty part of him was yelling in the back of his mind to push Light away so he could storm off and soothe his wounded pride. The _rest_ of him exulted in the moment, and L listened to _that_ part, clutching bloody fingers around the back of Light’s neck and kissing the man fiercely.

Light hummed into the kiss, pressing his partially-clothed body against Ryuzaki’s. He pulled back long enough to slam the tip of his sword into the wall, then leaned right back into another kiss, tasting Ryuzaki’s coppery blood and something _sweet_ the man had eaten not long ago. Their tongues dueled in place of swords, lunging, dancing, parrying, getting a new kind of feel for the opponent in front of them. He finally pulled back, breathless and dizzy, apprehensively searching Ryuzaki’s face as he waited for the expected mocking comment or worse, laughter.

L panted from the exhilarating high of their duels, a genuinely pleased smile spreading across his face to see Light’s mouth bloodied from their kiss. _Holy shit._ “Light-kun…” He tilted his head and raised his gaze back to Light’s, sliding his hand around and reaching up to rub his thumb against Light’s lips. “Will you come back to the team?” No way did he want to give _this_ up. “I don’t… want you to quit.”

Light relaxed and returned Ryuzaki’s smile. Perhaps he could find some time for fencing after all. “If practice is more like _this_ , then hell yeah. Although maybe you could just...give me private lessons.” 

L grinned wolfishly at Light, letting his hands wander down the man’s back shamelessly. “Care to start _now_?”

Light grinned and ran a finger down Ryuzaki’s cheek just under the scratch. “This is going to leave a scar, you know.” Something about the idea of Ryuzaki walking around with a scar _Light_ gave him was thrilling.

L laughed, a gleam of wicked delight in his eyes. Perhaps losing wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Not if he got Light _and_ a scar out of it. He tugged Light’s face back towards his, voice lowering to a near purr, “Oh, I _hope_ so.”

Light murmured against Ryuzaki’s lips, “I suppose we’ll have to think of a proper excuse for it. Like your mask broke.” He pressed a kiss to the scratch, dragging his mouth back to Ryuzaki’s for a proper kiss. Despite how excited he felt about winning, about this newfound attraction, something was slightly bothering him. He pulled back and said, “I think I feel a little guilty taking your sword from you after, um....I mean, it’s got to be special, one of a kind.”

“Oh, it’s special, alright.” L’s eyes fell half-shut in satisfaction, fingers threading through Light’s hair as he smiled at him knowingly. “But no. It’s one of a _pair._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for DeathNotetober and inspired by @sketchyspirit’s art here: https://sketchyspirit.tumblr.com/post/629003813978882048/the-sports-rivalry-we-all-deserved
> 
> Here’s L’s sword: https://victoriansword.tumblr.com/post/168193118271/french-dueling-sword-c1840-50-interesting
> 
> If you’re interested in knowing a little more about fencing, here’s some short videos we used as background for writing this:  
> Fencing explained: https://youtu.be/kTw05gC2T9Y  
> One of the greatest matches of all time: Jeannet v Kolobkov 2005 World Championships final: https://youtu.be/1xnmZna6Fgg?t=42m15s  
> And the inspiration for the ‘later’ part of the fight (very recommended): https://youtu.be/aq2m_qKFA7A


End file.
